Note: Any BOLD shows were cancelled in 1986 season; Hill Street Blues was cancelled
in the seventh season.

Anniversary:

Dallas celebrated ten years on CBS.

20/20 celebrated ten years on ABC.

Biggest New Hit: Amen was #13 on NBC Saturday. It was the first religion comedy to be a top 20 hit. It was a natural
fit for Clifton Davis; he was a real life minister. AMEN!

First Run:

Charles In Charge returned to syndication in January 1987 with two original cast members, Scott Baio and Willie Aames.
It was previously a failed CBS sitcom in 1984; Who’s The Boss was more successful than Charles In Charge.

Mama’s Family returned to syndication after a year absence with three original cast members, Vicki Lawrence, Ken
Berry and Dorothy Lyman. It was previously on NBC.

9 to 5 returned to syndication after a three-year absence with two original cast members, Rachael Dennison and Valerie
Curtin. It was previously on ABC.

Head Of The Class Tidbits:

Hmm, for the smart kids, some of them stayed in high school for five years straight on Head Of The Class. Hello, five years?
My God! Some of them were pretty stupid. I am that stupid; I managed to finish school in four years. That told me one thing.
They weren’t as smart. It doesn’t take a genius like Maria, Jawaharlal and Janice to be in high school that long.
Of course, other “smart” students took their place. I wondered how long the new students stay. That’s right.
They stayed in school till the show was cancelled two years later. Even the new teacher lasted for a year.

This was Robin Givens’ first series; it made her famous. During her time on the show, she was married to Mike Tyson
for one year. It was an abusive relationship between Mike and her; she accused him of spousal abuse.

The comedy was the first ever USA sitcom to be film in Moscow, Russia.

The costars, Brian Robbins and Dan Schneider, produced the hit Nickelodeon comedy/variety show, All That. Mike Tollin and
Brian created that show. All That was on for ten years.

Richard Pryor’s daughter, Rain Pryor, joined the comedy in the third season; it was her first series. Her dad died
of cardiac arrest in 2005.

Movies to TV:

Gung Hu was based on the 1986 Michael Keaton movie. Gedde Watanabe reprised his Kaz Kazuhiro role for the series.

Starman was a sequel based on the 1984 movie, starring Jeff Bridges. The alien impregnated a woman; then fourteen years
later, he returned to find his love and raised their son.

Name Change:

Still The Beaver (The Disney Channel) to The New Leave It To Beaver (WTBS).

Together We Stand to Nothing Is Easy in midseason.

Original Title: Siskel & Ebert & The Movies. The series is best known as Siskel & Ebert.

The Return:

Lucy Ball returned in her only big flop, Life With Lucy, after a twelve-year absence. It was the worst show of the season;
everyone tuned out after the first episode. Even Gale Gordon was her costar once again; they were on The Lucy Show/Here’s
Lucy. It wasn’t the same Lucy we all know and love; the show wasn’t funny, not by the standards of Lucy Ball.

Howard Hesseman retuned in Head Of The Class after a two-year absence. He was previously on One Day At A Time. He was famous
for WKRP In Cincinnati as Dr. Johnny Fever.

Patrick Duffy returned to Dallas as a very much live Bobby Ewing in the shower. His first words were “Good morning”
to his wife, Pam Ewing, who dreamt the previous 1985/86 season. Oddly enough, Bobby remained dead on Knots Landing and Gary
Ewing.

Sherman Hemsley & Clifton Davis returned on the hit series, AMEN. Sherman was previously on The Jeffersons for eleven
years. Clifton was on the 1970’s show, That’s My Mama!

Susan Dey returned on LA Law, her biggest TV hit to date; her first hit was The Partridge Family in the early 1970’s.
The characters were extremely popular with the viewers, especially Arnie Becker (Corbin Bernsen).

Julie Kavner returned in The Tracey Ullman Show after a nine-year absence. She was previously on Rhoda. Dan Castellaneta
(Homer) and Julie (Marge) starred in The Simpsons shorts, then on the ever-popular spin off, The Simpsons, starting in 1989.

Pam Dawber returned in My Sister Sam after a four-year absence. She was previously on Mork & Mindy. A crazed fan murdered
her former costar, Rebecca Schaeffer, in 1989. Thanks to her senseless death, the anti stalking law became effective in 1991
and, by 1993, all fifty states and Canada, has the same law. At least, something good came out of her murder.

Marsha Warfield joined Night Court for their last six seasons. Her first and last series was The Richard Pryor Show in
1977.

Jonathan Ward returned in ABC's failed series, Heart Of The City. His "sisterly" costar was Christina Applegate. Later
in the same season, Jonathan and Christina appeared in separate new FOX shows, The New Adventures Of Beans Baxter and Married
With Children. As dumb as trampy Kelly Bundy gets, she rules over smart Beans Baxter. Whoever thought that Kelly triumphed
over a spy? It's one for the record books. You go, Kelly!

Now, Chuck Connors creeps me out. He was a werewolf. Damn him! Give me a gun. I want to kill him with a silver bullet.
That would be the last of the werewolf! Eric Cord killed him instead. In reality, Chuck died in 1992 from lung cancer.

The Cross–Wits returned to syndication after six year absence as The New Cross–Wits.

Spin Off:

The Colbys from Dynasty – It was too close of a copy to Dynasty; it didn’t caught on with the viewers and was
cancelled in two years. The funny thing was that Fallon was abducted by the aliens in the second season’s cliffhanger
and, somehow, showed up back on Dynasty the next season with no explanation given. The Colbys was originally called Dynasty
II: The Colbys.

The Tortillas from Cheers – Carla’s no good ex husband, Nick, moved to Las Vegas with his new bride, Loretta,
who try to launch a showbiz career. This was the less successful Cheers spin off; it lasted a few months. Jean Kasem has been
married to the popular radio personality, Casey Kasem, since 1980. This was Jean’s first series.

TV History: Married W/ Children is the longest FOX comedy, eleven seasons, not counting The Simpsons. After all, The
Simpson is a cartoon.

Tidbits:

FOX first broadcast in prime time on April 5, 1987, Sunday, starting with Married W/ Children and The Tracey Ullman Show.
It was on three times that night, the same episode, that is.

The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers was the first ever FOX show, premiered on October 9, 1986. It was never a serious competition
for The Tonight Show on NBC.

Corbin Bernsen is related to Jeanne Cooper (CBS’s The Young & The Restless). He later appeared on his mother’s
daytime soap in a few episodes in 2003/04. They shared few scenes together on the soap too.

A Current Affair was the first ever tabloid newsmagazine. Maury Povich was the first host for a few years. It truly ushered
the tabloid news, followed by Hard Copy and Inside Edition.

Animal Crack–Ups moved to ABC Saturday morning for three seasons.

I have seen Better Days, but, come on, I want my Better Days to last more than five weeks!

The real life married couple, Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry, played a married couple on LA Law, created by Steven
Bochco and Terry Louis Fisher.

Dennis Farina was a real life cop in Chicago for eighteen years. Crime Story was his first series.

Mariah was the first prison drama on a network.

The David Susskind Show was on TV for a total of twenty–nine years. The first three years was on New York local TV.
David Susskind died from a heart attack on February 22, 1987 in New York.

Viewers Response: It was impossible to watch Designing Women. CBS moved it lots of times, then they cancelled the series
in the spring. The viewers protested and saved it from cancellation. Designing Women returned to Monday.